A slit lamp microscope is a device which is able to examine the states of eyes in such a way to examine an optical cut surface of eyes by radiating a vertically long and thin light (a measuring light) with respect to almost transparent eye tissues.
The aforementioned slit lamp microscope is able to examine an eyelid, a conjunctive, a cornea, an anterior chamber, a lens, a vitreous body (a hyaline body), etc. in such a way to adjust the width, length and angle of a radiated light, and it is possible to even examine a fundus using a predetermined auxiliary equipment.
Moreover, the slit lamp microscope may be used when it needs to take a picture of an anterior segment and measure an anterior chamber depth and the thickness of a cornea and a lens. Since a tonometer can be attached thereto, it is being widely used at an ophthalmology hospital.
FIG. 1 is a view illustrating the whole exterior configuration of a conventional slit lamp microscope. Referring to FIG. 1, the conventional slit lamp microscope is formed of a lighting optical unit 110 configured to radiate a measuring light to a subject's eye 114, and an observation optical unit 120 configured to observe an optical cut surface formed at the subject's eye 114.
The lighting optical unit 110 is formed of a source light 112 which radiates a slit-shaped measuring light, and a reflection mirror 118 which is able to reflect the measuring light and guide to the subject's eye 114. The observation optical unit 120 is formed of an optical distribution unit 122 which is able to split a signal light reflected off the subject's eye 114, a camera 124 employed to record in the form of an image the signal light split by the optical distribution unit 122, and an eyepiece optical system 126 employed to observe with eyes the signal light split by the optical distribution unit 122.
In case of the aforementioned conventional slit lamp microscope, a maintenance and repair work of such a slit lamp microscope is hard since it is not easy to attach and detach a camera to/from the optical distribution unit.
Moreover, in case of a camera which is used for a conventional slit lamp microscope, a SD camera is employed, for which a resolution is low, and it is hard to recognize an image or a video taken from a subject's eye. In addition, in case where a high resolution camera, for example, a HD camera, is employed, a cost may rise. In order to take a video or an image of a subject's eye, various equipment, for example, a beam splitter, a mount and a camera, a video or image capturing device, a computer, a printer, etc. are inevitably necessary. The procedure for obtaining a video or an image in a physical/software way is complicated.